Chinese Bi Disc
Chinese Bi Disc
Chinese Bi Disc
3300 – 2000 BCE
Jade
.5 in x 9 in
Chinese
1999.138
The Liangzhu was a culture centered around the worship of jade in the lower reaches of the Yangtze river almost 5300 years ago.The jade bi disk was one of the most important objects to the Liangzhu, seen below. This bi is a flat nephrite jade disk with no inscriptions or other intricate details. The nephrite’s shading is different throughout the disc, appearing a cloudy dark gray on about two thirds of the disc, and a more uniform lighter gray on the last third. Despite appearing as a rather simple object, the Liangzhu had numerous uses for the bi disk, far beyond display.1
The jade bi disc had significant social implications during the Liangzhu period. The jade material made it an expensive and highly prized item during the time period. As a result, in Liangzhu society it was a sign of high social status to be in possession of a jade bi. One who had several bi indicated possession of lots of jade material, and was assumed by scholars to be wealthy.2 There are numerous excavations of jade bi from royal tombs, one being from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in the Hebei province. The jade bi excavated from this tomb included an intricate design around the entirety of the disk in addition to being lined with gold thread.3 From this, it can be interpreted that bi was not a common household object among all the Liangzhu people. By owning bi and other ritualistic jade objects, the Liangzhu elite believed they could exercise their god’s will as embodiments of their god.4 This demonstrates that a bi was not only used for worship, but it also was associated with social status and authority, making them coveted symbols of power and prestige. Beyond social status, it is also evident that crafting jade objects such as bi required specialized workers. This is indicated by the discovery of jade and other stone tool workshops in the ancient Liangzhu city.5 The presence of jade workshops would mean that the jade artisan was a Liangzhu-created profession. This presumably added complexity to the Liangzhu social hierarchy with the artisans likely being highly regarded for crafting jade ritual objects like bi.
Culturally, the bi disk reflects the prominence of ritual and religion in Liangzhu society and China as a whole. Bi discs have held a central position in Chinese culture throughout the centuries, symbolizing harmony, balance, and humanity’s connection with celestials. The disc’s shape was meant to signify this connection; the circular disc was meant to represent the surrounding heavens, while the central hole represents the Earth.6 Looking through the hole also allows one to see their surroundings on our Earth. This adds to the interpretation of the hole being a representation of the Earth. Furthermore, the shape of the hole being a circle was meant to represent the circle of life, making it so the center hole was seen as a link between the mortal world and the celestial plane.7 Bi discs also played a crucial role in religious and ceremonial practices. During the Liangzhu period in China, a bi disc’s function was to worship the heavens and be a sacrificial offering to the Liangzhu deity.8 Additionally, they were used in rituals, burials, and ancestral worship as they were believed to offer protection, guidance, and blessings from the divine.
Jade bi discs’ influence extends beyond mere artifacts, shaping religious practices, social hierarchies, and artistic expressions. Although this example is without incised design, the intricate markings on many of these discs convey narratives of cosmology, mythology, and philosophical concepts deeply ingrained in Chinese culture. By exploring this Liangzhu bi disc and its relationship to other bi discs of the period, we gain a deeper appreciation for the enduring legacy of bi discs in Chinese culture and the timeless beauty of jade as a material. These remarkable artifacts embody Chinese heritage and serve as a testament to the profound connection between art, spirituality, and society.
Kaden Narayani
Undecided
Class of 2026
Andrew Harder
Economics
Class of 2025
Annotated Bibliography
Childs-Johnson, Elizabeth. Enduring art of jade age China. New York: Throckmorton Fine Art, 2002, v.1.
This source talks about a couple different bi discs from different periods throughout. All of them were made out of Jade and were before the time of our bi disc. However, it focused on the making, materials, importance, and influence that these bi discs had on their respective communities. It gave us insight into how these discs came into existence and how later bi discs changed compared to the ones shown. This helped us understand the differences between the bi disc we were assigned and the ones pictured in the books.
Childs-Johnson, Elizabeth. Enduring art of jade age China. New York: Throckmorton Fine Art, 2002, v.2.
Volume 2 was simply an extension of volume 1 as it covered additional jade art and jade bi discs. Both Volumes 1 and 2 served the same purposes in providing information about the jade bi discs.
Liu, Bin. Liangzhu Jade Artifacts. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2022.
This source covers a brief history of jade objects during the Liangzhu time period. Bin Liu discusses several different jade artifacts uncovered at Liangzhu burial sites. Liu then goes into detail for each object about their importance to the Liangzhu people and what their purposes were. This source was relevant to this research because it had a section covering the bi disk. This was helpful in understanding its uses and purposes in Liangzhu society.
Xi, Jiang. Liangzhu’s Story of Stone. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2022.
This source covers more of the history of Liangzhu’s use of stone. This includes jade items among others. Jiang Xi covers the Liangzhu’s ancient city layout, and then provides several details about their stone tools and where they were crafted. This source contributed to this research by giving further information about jade objects (bi grouped with others), and their crafting qualities, as well as their purposes.